Tern Haven

"Tern Haven" is the fifth episode of the second season of the HBO satirical comedy-drama television series Succession, and the 15th overall. It was written by Will Tracy and directed by Mark Mylod, and aired on September 8, 2019.

"Tern Haven"
Succession episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 5
Directed byMark Mylod
Written byWill Tracy
Original air dateSeptember 8, 2019
Running time64 minutes
Guest appearance(s)

"Tern Haven" shows the Roy family meeting with another billionaire family, the Pierces, in a step toward a potential acquisition of the Pierce family media conglomerate PGM by the Roy family company, Waystar Royco. The episode introduces several new characters, including Nan Pierce, and marks the first on-screen appearance of Naomi Pierce, previously only mentioned.

Plot

The Roy children return from a business trip to England, some weeks after the previous episode. Logan officially announces his plans to acquire rival media giant Pierce Global Media (PGM), but informs the family that they first have to spend the weekend at the estate of the Pierce family, who own PGM. PGM's readership and sales have foundered over the last two years, presenting a clearer opportunity for the Roys. Nonetheless, Logan, who is staunchly determined to win the acquisition, gives his family meticulous instructions on how to present themselves to the Pierces. Kendall is told to arrive later than the rest of the family.

That weekend, the Pierces receive the Roys at Tern Haven, their family estate in Long Island. The Roys have already established certain inroads with the Pierces: Frank is personal friends with the family matriarch Nan Pierce, while Roman's girlfriend Tabitha once had a sexual relationship with Nan's cousin Naomi, who has made a special trip for the meeting with the Roys.

The two families mingle, though there is friction between Connor and Maxim Pierce, a consultant at the Brookings Institution who doesn't take Connor's presidential ambitions seriously, as well as between Shiv and Mark Pierce, an academic to whom she makes a condescending joke. Kendall soon arrives and learns that he and Naomi share a history of drug problems. Logan takes his family aside and scolds them for not meeting his expectations of how they must "perform", but Marcia is frustrated with Logan for his paranoid, controlling behavior.

That night, the two families have dinner together, which becomes increasingly tense as the Pierces probe into the lives of the Roys. Marcia makes comments suggesting that she is resentful of how Logan treats her, and Tom feels pressured when the liberal Pierces repeatedly insult him over his position at Waystar's right-leaning news outlet, ATN. Tensions reach a breaking point when Nan asks Logan who he plans to name as his successor: Logan refuses to answer the question, prompting Shiv to angrily proclaim that she has already been chosen. Nan ends the dinner and ushers everyone outdoors to go stargazing.

While everyone else gathers outside, Shiv takes solace in her bedroom and panics to Tom, regretting her outburst. Meanwhile, Kendall and Naomi, who have become increasingly flirtatious over the night, sneak off to do cocaine together, and later get drunk inside the Roys' helicopter. Naomi admits to Kendall that she despises the Roys for running tabloids on her while she struggled with her addiction, and that she is only here to ensure that an acquisition deal fails. She and Kendall make out.

In the middle of the night, Roman and Tabitha attempt to have sex for the first time, but Roman struggles to perform. He visits Gerri's room and once again becomes sexually aroused by her humiliation.

The following morning, Nan, Rhea and Naomi meet privately with Logan, Shiv and Kendall, and agree to allow the Roys to buy PGM on the condition that Shiv is named Logan's successor. Logan refuses their terms and calls off the deal, but suggests to Nan that her family needs the deal in order for their company to survive. As soon as the Roys land back in Manhattan, Logan receives a phone call saying the Pierces have reconsidered, and that the deal is a success. The Roys celebrate at Logan's apartment, but Logan himself chooses to reflect in his room alone.

Production

The episode was filmed over the course of two days at a mansion on Long Island, referred to in the episode as "Tern Haven".[1] Stephen Carter, the production designer for the show, originally considered "Tern Haven" as a shooting location for the Roy summer home, but it ultimately fit better for the "....New England, Hyannis Port-style vibe" the production team sought for the Pierce family.[1] The home originally belonged to Junius Spencer Morgan, who named it "Salutation".[2] The estate is one of several in the area used as filming locations for the second season.[3]

During the episode's dinner scene, which culminates in arguments and tense conversation between members of both families, the camera crew gradually became closer to the actors in order to make the audience feel "intimately connected" to the scene.[1]

Pierce family

The show's central characters mostly belong to a single family. This family, the Roys, own a fictional conglomerate, Waystar Royco, and the Roys represent a loose composite of the real-world Murdoch, Redstone, and Trump families. Waystar Royco, in turn, represents a fictional counterpart to the now-defunct News Corporation.[4] "Tern Haven" marks the on-screen introduction of the Pierce family,[1] owners of another, left-leaning media company, PGM. The Pierce family has no single real-world analog, but Will Tracy, the writer of "Tern Haven" indicated the family was inspired by the Bancrofts, Sulzbergers and Grahams, which he referred to as "...reputable, blue-blood, northeastern, legacy-media families".[1] Their narrative also resembles those of the American Taylor and Chandler media families.[4]

The production team did not create the Pierce family members as "doppelgänger analogs". Instead, the other family was designed to "...feed a mounting sense of friction,"[1] though critics noted parallels between individual Roy-Pierce pairs.[5] Writing for The New Yorker, Rachel Syme described the Pierce family aesthetic as "shabby chic," indicating dynastic wealth, as opposed to the sleeker, arriviste fashion choices of the Roys.[6]

Reception

Ratings

Upon airing, the episode was watched by 0.507 million viewers, with an 18-49 rating of 0.11.[7]

Critical reception

"Tern Haven" received critical acclaim, with particular praise directed at Tracy's script, the performances, and the dynamic between the Roys and Pierces. Randall Colburn of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B+, highlighted how the episode developed the relationship between Logan and Shiv, and praised the "gorgeous" scene in which Kendall and Naomi bond over their similar histories with their respective families.[8] Vox considered "Tern Haven" to be the best episode of Succession to date, pointing out the Shakespearian influence over the Roy-Pierce dynamic and also singling out the scenes between Kendall and Naomi for praise. The reviewers also enjoyed the introduction of the Pierces, describing them as a "hilarious jumble of upper-class nonsense."[9] Den of Geek's Andrew Husband rated the episode 4.5 out of 5 stars,[10] and Vulture's Scott Tobias rated the episode 5 out of 5 stars, praising the dialogue and remarking on the added depth given to Shiv and Tom's relationship.[11] Joanna Robinson, writing for Vanity Fair, noted the episode's focus on "female ambition" and the goals of the women in the cast, heightened by the introduction of the "matriarchal Pierce family".[12]

Accolades

At the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, Kieran Culkin submitted this episode to support his nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.[13]

References
  1. Harris, Hunter (9 September 2016). "How Succession Created an Even Weirder Rich Family Than the Roys". Vulture. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  2. Tarmy, James; Clemence, Sara (17 October 2017). "Buy a $125 Million Island Compound Under an Hour From New York". Bloomberg. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  3. McHenry, Jackson (25 August 2019). "How Succession Scouts and Designs Its Luxe Mansions". Vulture. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  4. Salmon, Felix (9 September 2019). "Which of the World's Great Media Clans Is the Model for Succession's Pierces?". Slate. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  5. Colburn, Randall (9 September 2019). "Succession introduces the Bizarro Roys in "Tern Haven"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  6. Syme, Rachel (6 September 2019). "Let's Talk About the Clothes on "Succession"". The New Yorker. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  7. Metcalf, Mitch (September 10, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.8.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  8. https://tv.avclub.com/succession-introduces-the-bizarro-roys-in-tern-haven-1837942774
  9. https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/9/8/20853285/succession-season-2-episode-5-tern-haven-recap-shiv-logan-pierce
  10. "Succession Season 2 Episode 5 Review: Tern Haven". Den of Geek.
  11. Tobias, Scott (September 8, 2019). "Succession Recap: Jury of Pierce". Vulture.
  12. Robinson, Joanna (9 September 2019). "Succession Star on the Show's Devastating Take on Female Ambition". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  13. https://www.goldderby.com/feature/complete-list-2020-emmys-episode-submissions-revealed-updating-1203624872/
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